Homestretching

Things I Never Want to Forget About Europe

2011-10-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

First, I always want to remember how grateful I am to my mother for giving me the opportunity to share this experience with her, creating memories for both of us forever.

Houses are very narrow because they were taxed on the amount of land they use and then they built up. Many of these houses are over 500 years old and are sliding sideways, making them look very tipsy.

Holland is just two provinces--The Netherlands is the name of the whole country

The Red Light District of Amsterdam--I've always heard of it and always wanted to see it. Two kind fellow passengers took me out with them to see the sights. Incredibly narrow alleys with real red lights over 400 windows. 1000 girls (to cover the various shifts). They pay about $100/night for a window. The girls were all completely dressed. After negotiating with the customer they close the drapes for privacy. Photos are not allowed or you may find yourself in the canal.

The "coffeehouses" are numerous and no one pays any attention to them, but they do emit a strong aroma.

One thing that made me crazy were all the people on bikes (no one wears a helmet) and no hats or umbrellas. It didn't matter how hard it was raining, they just went on without them.

Outdoor urinals--can you imagine! right out on the street!

They have a Museum of Bags and Purses.

Augenroller--The Eye Roller--his eyes move back and forth and he sticks out his tongue on the hour.

Schmuck means gem or jewelry.

Gas costs $9 a gallon.

For public toilets, you must pay a "fee to pee." Usually 50 cents. In one place we paid 70 cents, but that's because a brush came out to clean the rotating seat after every use.

"Let's have a reviver, Georgie!"

In the Cologne area, beer is served in tall narrow glasses and they will keep bring you more and more until you put a coaster over the glass to indicate that you are finished.

There is a purity law regarding beer brewing--you may only use four ingredients: hops, barley, yeast and water.

During a night out in the Drosselgasse wine alley of Rudesheim, we went wine tasting and had to fish the little bugs out of our glasses. We were each served a liter of Riesling wine with dinner and they all sang the whole way home on the bus.

Contrary to popular belief, in the middle ages chastity belts were not used to keep wives and daughters pure. They were used on prostitutes who didn't pay their taxes.

The gigantic slabs of wurst people ate at lunch.

In Bamburg, the Church owned the land and would not give the townspeople a place for their city hall, so they built it in the middle of the river.

Our friend had to go into the hospital for two days while on the trip. For breakfast they served her a bread roll, a piece of cheese and 3 slices of salami--in a hospital!!

Schneeballen--a round pastry ball deep-fried and coated with different toppings.

The little old ladies who spoke to me in German, assuming that I understood, as I nodded along.

The Mainz cathedral was built in 8 years and burned to the ground on the day of its inaugeration.

The Marksburg castle is the the only intact remaining castle. In the bed chamber there is a bed that is approximately 4 ft by 4 ft for two adults to sleep in. They slept sitting upright because of all the smoke from the fires and candles.

It is a saying that a women's blouse should be well constructed, so you can "see how much wood she has stacked in front of her cabin."

When the ship approaches low bridges, the wheelhouse lowers to the level of the deck. The captain pokes his head out a hatch on top. Once he asked me to sit beside him as we went under and he stuck his hand up to touch the bottom of the bridge.

2011-10-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

So, what have we done so far? In Amsterdam, there was the canal boat trip with the houseboats lining the edges, a long walk in the rain and a short trip to see the Red Light District.

Next, we sailed to Cologne to see the cathedral and the old town. The town of Koblenz was lovely to wander through. We toured the only intact castle left in Germany called Marksburg followed by beer, sausages and pretzels at a brewery.

The highlight of the trip is the little villages lining the Rhine, including the rock of Lorili. They waited until morning to sail for us to have the best views. Of course, it was a shivery cold, foggy morning, so that didn't work out so well. But I managed to take a few pictures.

We toured Mainz, which was supposed to include the Gutenberg Museum, but we ditched it because we were tired. There was a special tour of Rudesheim with a winery and then dinner with lots of oompah music and a liter of wine each! They sang all the way home on the bus.

Today we saw castle and town of Heidelberg.

What's left? Only Wertheim, Karlstadt, Gerlachshausen, Schweinfurt, Bamberg and Nuremberg. Other than that, we just eat ALL THE TIME!

2011-10-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Dream of my lifetime--Europe! Specifically, a riverboat cruise of the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Nuremburg. We started with two rainy days in Amsterdam, but trooped through it to see the sights. The canals, tipsy houses, coffeeshops and of course, the Red Light District.

Today we had a day in Cologne. When I came around the corner and saw the awesome of the catherdal, the power of it was breathtaking. The town was mostly destroyed during World War II, and has been reconstructed around the main square.

We skipped out on the ship board dinner tonight and ate bratwurst, cabbage and potatoes in an authentic German pub.

Autumn List

2011-09-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
Sept 22 ~ Host Book Club
Sept 30 & Oct 1, 2 ~ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco
Oct 10 to 25 ~ Rhine River Cruise from Amsterdam to Nuremberg

Projects:
Greenhouse finished and furnished
Sebastian's album
plant fruit trees

Fun:
UNR Football and tailgate parties
beach camping

Read:
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Leftovers by Tom Perotta
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides

Summer Tomatoes

2011-08-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here's an great thing to do with fresh tomatoes from Susan Branch. I "cook" it outside on my deck for 3 or 4 hours. I love having a jar chilling in the fridge, ready to add fresh tomato flavors to any dish. Especially enjoy putting it in a blender and using it as salad dressing. (You can click on the recipe to make it easier to read).

NEW IDEA: blend up, heat, and stir in cream for a delicious soup.

Summer List

2011-06-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Important Dates

Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival ~ June 18 & 19
Dawn's birthday ~ June 20
Horsemen's FINAL SHOW ~ June 26

High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy ~ June 30, July 1, 2 & 3
Lisa's birthday ~ July 8
Solar Cook-Off ~ July 9
Karen's birthday ~ July 25
Allison's birthday ~ August 2
Cameron's birthday ~ August 14
My birthday ~ August 17

Books to Read

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrich
Love Walked In by Marisa de Los Santos
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Projects

organize recipes
food dehydrator
little cakes and tarts

More Fun

Ace's Baseball
Blues Tuesdays at Squaw Valley
Tahoe City Beach Music on Sundays
Reno is Artown

Grateful

2011-06-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our farmers' market is in full swing now~today we got apricots, plouts, zucchini,

tomato plants and herbs, cauliflower, and POTSTICKERS.

Double raspberry sorbet in our new $1 ice cream maker from a garage sale.

Just raspberries and simple syrup going 'round in the ice bucket.

Slept outside for the first last night.

5 rusty buckets street-gleaned for growing herbs.

I have a husband who flirts with me, not once or twice,
but maybe 5 or 10 times a day, every day.

After 32 years.

Proper British Scones

2011-06-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Finally found a simple recipe for a true scone. They are easy to make from things you already have in your pantry right now. I added some raisins (because I don't have currants in my pantry). Five minutes of assembly, mixing, a little knead, and pop them in the oven for 13 minutes. Start the kettle. Delicious straight from the oven in less than twenty minutes total.

Accomplished Young Lady -- Proper British Scones

I wanted to make scones because I had some Rhubarb, Strawberry and Ginger Jam that I made last week to try. I found this recipe in The Cook and the Gardener by Amanda Hesser. The rhubarb in the garden is finally grown enough to cut small amounts from occasionally. I added a few strawberries because they were shriveling on my counter, which just concentrates the sugars and flavor intensity. I cooked it too long, but Brad rescued it by adding a little hot water and stirring it until it loosened up.

Rhubarb-Ginger Preserves

2 cups of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths

1 T candied ginger, chopped

Juice of 1/2 orange

1 1/2 cups sugar

1. Place the rhubarb in a pot twice its size, add the ginger,

orange juice and sugar and let macerate overnight.

2. The next day, slowly bring the fruit and sugar to a boil,
stirring often.

Simmer over medium heat, until it reaches 220 degrees.
Skim the surface while it simmers.

Sterilize a jar and lid. Pour jam into jar while it is hot.

Keep in the fridge and use within a week
OR can properly in a water bath for long term storage.

One of my newest obsessions is listening to podcasts while I walk. Seems to keep my mind occupied while I go 'round. Lynn Rosetto Kasper is the QUEEN of cooking, so warm, entertaining and delicious. Give it a try:

Splendid Table

Also, I picked up the latest copy of Country Living from Borders and I've been spending time curling up with these beauties:

British Country Living Magazine and Cath Kidston Online Magazine

All of this started because I've been cruising around the blogosphere searching for British blogs. These were some that have that feeling of real everyday life in England. Maybe I am just missing it because I was there last year at this time. Or possibly the rain this morning makes me dreamy. Mix up some scones, steep a cup of tea and soak up the atmosphere:

MaryJane's Tearoom

Hen House

Sarah-Jane Down the Lane

Curlew Country

Busy Bee

2011-03-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Spring is suddenly breaking out after hiding for all of March. The greenhouse is still non-existent, so no seed sowing for me yet. The garden survived the winter quite well, waiting patiently until we can plant. Last year a severe frost on Memorial Day wiped out almost every tomato plant in Reno, so choosing a planting date is critical.

Important Dates

Bodega Bay camping -- March 31-April 8
Olivia's birthday -- April 12
Wayne's birthday -- April 15
Yosemite -- April 19-22
Camping for Mother's Day at Coloma -- May 9
Jeremy's birthday -- May 10
Amy's birthday -- May 28

Books to Read

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Beautiful Maria of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos
The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggett by Glenn Taylor

Projects

summer clothes
new hammock

...And Here's One From Bill Monroe

2011-01-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

....seems like every band of the festival said that at least once or twice during each set. Apparently the rules of a bluegrass band are that 1) you can only have stringed instruments, 2) you must have a mandolin, a banjo, a guitar, and a bass, fiddle is desirable, but not necessary, 3) sing glorious harmonies, 4) you must play a song by Bill Monroe, father of bluegrass music. Not one band broke these rules the whole weekend.

LOVE the guitarist's expression!

Seriously serious banjo

IIIrd Generation--These guys have the best stage banter ever. We laughed ourselves silly after each song.

The evenings are filled with little campfires (wood provided by the festival), where musicians sit around and jam together. There are all-you-can-eat breakfasts and evening dances and quilting shows. I laughed to see that a vendor had left all his CD's out in the open all night--he knew no one would bother stealing them!

Sunshine and bluegrass. I heard more gospel music today than I've heard in my whole life. We saw some great bands that we've never seen before, in particular Blue Canyon Boys, Monroe Crossing, and Copper Mountain. Three full days of camping and music for $70/each--I'd do it again next year.

Wellness

2010-12-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

My daughter lent me her little bottle of Wellness, an Herbal Resistance Liquid, made by Source Naturals. I felt a cold coming on, I took 1/2 teaspoon mixed with warm water, only 5 times before I felt completely cured. It's a combination of echinacea, goldenseal, elderberry, yin chiao and other herbs. Tastes pretty bad, but worth feeling good.

Settling into Autumn

2010-10-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

My next-door-neighbors use wood to heat their house. Every time that I go out the door I get the heady fragrance of woodsmoke, making me feel autumn all through my soul. I'm ready.

Here are a few things that have made me feel like fall in the past days:

*spicy apple cider and black tea--heat in the microwave or on the stove for a minute until it makes the house smell delicious, then sip quietly.

*Orange-Cinnamon Bath Salts--mix equal amounts of baking soda, epsom salts and/or sea salt. Add freshly zested orange rind, cinnamon sticks, grated nutmeg, cloves. Stir well. Store next to the bathtub. Add generously to a warm bath.

*getting into a big fat novel (Freedom by Jonathan Franzen)

*putting the garden to bed, raking leaves, adding to the compost pile.

*moved the lemon tree inside and suddenly every lemon turns brilliant yellow. What should I make? Lemon tarts, anybody?

*buried 90 Ice Follies daffodil bulbs in the little flower island in the backyard. Looking forward to their smiles in spring.

*baked Susan Branch's gingerbread cake with lemon sauce. You MUST taste the lemon sauce!

*roasting tomatoes--brought about 15 lbs of green tomatoes into the house. As they ripen, I slow oven roast them with olive oil, brown sugar, salt, garlic and/or herbs. Pop in the oven at 250 degrees for about 2 hours.

Thinking about:
*pumpkin soup
*baking cranberry bread
*Brussels sprouts
*planting garlic
....and how to seat and feed 12 people for Thanksgiving!

Scarlet Runner Beans

2010-10-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

One of our successes in the garden this year--scarlet runner beans.They grew up the tepees with gorgeous flowers that the hummingbirds love. Apparently you can eat the young green beans, but we never did. Once they dried on the vine, I opened a pod and found these shiny black and pink beans.

This shows the progression of just off-the-vine, semi-dry, and very dry. I will save some of them for planting next year and the rest go in a big pot.

Autumn List

2010-09-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
Sept 30 ~ Dave Alvin at the Palms
Oct 1, 2, 3 ~ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco
Oct 17 ~ Overnight at the Lookout Tower

Projects:
greenhouse
Sebastian's album
Thanksgiving at our house this year
plant 100 daffodil bulbs

Fun:
UNR Football and tailgate parties
beach camping

Read:
Tribes by Seth Godin
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

So Brave Young and Handsome by Lief Enger
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin

Going Solar

2010-08-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Our system is up and running. With two systems this size, we are hoping to make enough energy here in the summer to offset all our winter heating needs. Living in Nevada is the perfect environment for creating energy--nothing but sun and wind most days.

This is a on-the-grid system, meaning that we don't have battery back-up. All our energy goes into the power company's system and then we use our energy off their system too. There is an $8 a month fee to be hooked into them, but that's it. You should see our meter spinning backwards!

We get 1/3 of the cost straight off our taxes this year and the rest of the system should have a pay back period of about 7 years, based on current use rates. But if the cost of energy goes up, it gets paid back faster. Some advisors say that investing for future savings is not the wisest use of your money, but we think it is a no-lose proposition. We will have free energy for the rest of our lives.

It comes with a computer read out to monitor energy output and use. On the first day we produced enough energy to save 6 gallons of gas. The group of solar owners that we are part of are creating enough energy to be equivalent to taking 3093 cars off the road. Yahoo!

Grateful Friday

2010-07-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

light summer dinners on the deck

blueberry crumble

Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

watching the tomatoes grow bigger, not redder, but bigger

serious thunder cracking around us right now

chai sun tea

making friends with a taper, who has great shows to share with me

Summer List

2010-07-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

July 1-5 High Sierra Music Festival
July 8 Lisa's birthday
July 10 Gold Country Blues Festival--Walter Trout, Guy Davis
July 25 Karen's birthday
August 2 Allison's birthday
August 7 Northern Calif Blues Festival--Elvin Bishop
August 14 Cameron's birthday
August 17 My birthday

Projects:
Still working on Sebastian's album
still working on the flower island
planting the new trellis with vines

Fun:
Ace's Baseball
Tuesday night blues at Squaw Valley
Beach music on Sundays in Tahoe City

Read:
Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vereghese
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Linchpin by Seth Godin

Things I Never Want to Forget About Wales

2010-06-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

First, Wales is the most stunningly beautiful place I know--the deep green of the hills, the dramatic views, the softness of the air.

*the story of a woman who raised 13 children in a cave on the Orme.

*sharing a Cadbury chocolate bar with my sister, while over looking the town.

*getting picked up at the bus stop by a nice man named Harry, who gave us a ride all the way to Llanwurst and dropped us right at the tea house we were going to.

*quiz nights in the pubs with a glass of cider and a lot of laughs

*jacket potato (baked potato) and baked beans make a satisfying dinner

*the generousity of Kate, who loaned me her laptop, so I could Skype Brad and Amy

*sitting in the deck chairs like real tourists and watching the parade of people on The Promenade

*how much Karen loved bakewell tarts the first time she ate one

*the woman barking out the window at a group of noisy school children

*tea at the St. George Hotel, where my grandparents met

*walking around Crafnant Lake and eating lunch on the lawn

*the funny names of the undertakers in town: Peter the Box, Lem the Crem, Harry the Hearse
....and a person named Dick 18 Months, because he lost the top of his ear in an accident--an 'ear and a half!
....and the local hairdresser: Bruce the Hair

*all the men walking up and down The Prom in capris

*headline in the newspaper: Bearded Tits Make a Comeback in North Wales

*delicious flavors: buttermints, cheddar biscuits, brambly apple pie, English bacon, squash, digestive biscuits with chocolate, blackcurrent jam

*they move food around in Marks and Spencers daily so you have to search all the rows every time

*some of my favorite expressions: loo rolls (toilet paper), wheelie bins (garbage cans), hoover (vacuum cleaner), hob (stovetop), cling film (plastic wrap)

*walking a country lane lined with hedgerows of wild roses, nettles, ivy, brambles and bracken

*the sweet quality of children's voices

*the way the wind farm seemed to move across the bay,

depending on the light and your position

*being surprised by Morris dancers

walking down the street in black face, tattered clothes, and feathers

*the granduer of the cathedral at Chester

*the laburnum arch at Bodnant Gardens in full bloom

*the ultimate food--a bacon roll--bacon on bread with butter!

*they have a television station called Filth

*a baby seagull that fell off the roof and cried all night because he couldn't get back in the nest

*the guy with signs on his front, back, both arms and also holding a giant sign that says, "Stop Filming Me."

*seeing seagulls regularly attack people on the beach eating fish and chips

*when Karen saw all the fresh prepared foods available in the grocery store Asda, she said, "I'm so jealous, I could spit!"

*another hairdresser: Curl Up and Dye

Summer Holiday in Wales

2010-06-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

Happiness is.....

a properly made cup of tea with milk and sugar
listening to people chat in Welsh in the shops
quiz night at the pub
real Cadbury chocolate
scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream
talking on Skype with my husband
bakewell tart
finding little treasures in the charity shops
a hot water bottle

...and walking the dogs on the mountain top, laughing about how ridiculous the weather is.

Grateful Friday

2010-05-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the mothers in the world (especially mine!)--you're doing the most important thing in the world.

Welcome to My Garden

2010-05-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

It is the Grand Unveiling of this state-of-the-art vegetable garden. It's been my dream for so long, I have to pinch myself every once in awhile to believe that it's real. Brad, and especially Cameron, worked endlessly to make it just right.

The fence is rock solid, concreted into the ground with heavy-duty 4x4 posts. Two gates.1/2 inch mesh (almost) all the way round. The wire mesh goes 8 inches below ground to keep the rabbits out. After all, we did this whole thing so the rabbits wouldn't have to die if I caught them eating my veggies.

Some of the raised boxes were in last year and we built a few more this spring. Now we have ten. The soil is an even mixture of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite. They have a complete automatic watering system. In the last week we have filling them with strawberries, asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes, chard, lettuce, carrots, beets, and more.

Around the inside edge I planted peas to climb up the mesh--shelling peas, snap peas, snow peas, sweet peas, and pea shoots. Can you guess my favorite vegetable? Inside that, I planted a line of edible flowers, but I ran out of flowers so I added lots of herb seeds like oregano, basil, and thyme to blend in with the flowers.

As you can see from the first photo, we still have snow around here. Spring weather in Reno is completely unpredictable 85 degrees one day, 34 degrees the next day. So we have hoops with insulated blankets for nighttime (and some times daytime) coverage. The green Wall O' Water tepees are a new addition. Supposedly, you can put tomatoes out two months before your last frost date. With such a short growing season, that is a real boon for us. The water absorbs the heat of the day and radiants out to the plant at night.

The fence doesn't quite make it all the way around the garden yet; that's because we are going to build a greenhouse at the north end. For now I have two big wicker chairs there, so I can gaze at the plants. I have big dreams for that trellis on the walkway too. I haven't decided on clematis, roses, honeysuckle, or something else yet, but it's going to be gorgeous some day....

Grateful Friday

2010-04-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Brad picked this daffodil for me

and placed it in a vase on my desk

it was yellow

turned white unexpectedly

like his hair

....not sure why....

but I love it.

Hints from A Vegetarian Kitchen

2010-04-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

My friend, Ali recommended this book of healthy recipes. I read cookbooks like novels, reveling in the glorious descriptions of each ingredient. This one gave me lots of new ideas to consider. While I found some recipes I will definitely cook, it was the great little side notes that got my attention.

These are the best ones:

Cold Rice for Fried Rice--when making fried rice, you must start with chilled cooked rice. Freshly cooked rice will turn to mush. Spread cooked rice out on a rimmed baking sheet until it cools to room temperature. Wrap the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.

Pan-Roasting Garlic--roast skin-on garlic cloves in a small cover skillet over moderate heat. Shake the pan to turn them occasionally, until their skins are browned. Cool. The skin peels off easily. Use whole or work into a paste with olive oil and salt. Use in pasta sauces, soups, or simply spread on toasted bread.

Zip Lock for Weight--to weigh down things, fill a zip lock bag with water. It will give a nice even pressure to items without squashing them.

Aromatics in Stir Fry--to keep garlic, ginger, scallions, shallots, etc. from burning in a stir fry, add them at the end. It just takes 20-30 seconds for the fragrant aromas to be released, then add the sauce and the already-cooked vegetables.

Steam Peas in the Pod--just like edamame and everyone shells their own easily at the table.

Fried Ginger--cook minced gingerroot in peanut oil until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Use to sprinkle over cooked vegetables.

Low Fat Salad Dressing--simmer 1 cup of orange juice until it is reduced to a few tablespoons, add a little lemon or lime juice, then whisk in some olive oil.

My Obsession with Canning Jars

2010-04-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

It started with a dozen. The next day I bought 2 more dozen. Then I went back for another dozen. There isn't any more room on the pantry shelves, unless I start removing other things. They are already two rows deep. We're trying to avoid storing food in plastic, and these work so well for small quantities. I love them dearly.

What do I use them for? They are filled with ingredients for healthy cooking. I always have something available to make. The list rotates, but this is the gist of it: dry pasta, whole grains, dry beans, coconut, flax seeds, kosher salt, nuts, rice, sun-dried tomatoes, vital wheat gluten (for baking bread), pinenuts, couscous, dry fruit, seeds for sprouting, raisins (golden & regular), oatmeal (rolled & steel cut), raw cane sugar, brown sugar, tea bags, bay leaves, hot chocolate mix, bran, lentils. But that's just the pantry...

I also use them in the freezer. Since I don't want to go through the whole boiling canning process, when I cook from scratch, I just throw the item in a jar and keep it in the freezer. Right now I have homemade marmalade, strawberry butter, and tomato sauce. I store a jar of yeast for baking in there too.

Grateful Friday

2010-03-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

protein shakes with yogurt, vanilla, and fresh berries--yummy!

clearing out the magazines

stir fry for dinner

a walk every day for a week